2016 BMW M4 Coupe DCT Competition Package Review

2016 BMW M4 Coupe DCT Competition Package Review By now BMW’s F30 M4 can be a known quantity, getting an über-quick German sports coupe revered for its functionality and chastised for not being as tactile as its much-loved predecessor, the E92 M3 coupe. The M4 gets dinged for its twin-turbocharged inline-six that can not match the sheer screaming joy of winding out the old M3’s naturally aspirated V-8 to its 8300-rpm limit, for its numb steering, and for its frequently overdigitized nature. None of those transgressions hold the M4 from posting remarkable performance numbers, but they do sap some of the fun from the course of action of extracting them.

2016 BMW M4 Coupe DCT Competition Package Review

If the M4 is old news, the $5500 Competition package that BMW released for 2016 is new news. (Even newer news is the fact that the 2017 package price has dropped to $4750 for the coupe and $4250 for the convertible.) Readily available on both the M4 along with the M3 sedan, the kit contains the optional M Adaptive suspension dampers (albeit with revised tuning), stiffer springs, blacked-out exterior trim and badges, a 19-hp bump, a substantially louder exhaust, wider tires on 20-inch wheels similar to these around the limited-production M4 GTS, and also the very same lightweight seats because the GTS. As you could reasonably anticipate from an selection bundle with “competition” in its name, the Competition package intends to broaden the M4’s performance envelope.

In spite of juicing the M4’s mighty three.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six by 19 horsepower to 444, the Competitors package fails to put any additional spring within the coupe’s step. Our test auto came equipped using the optional seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, and its three.8-second zero-to-60-mph time fell in between the times posted by two other DCT-equipped M4s we’ve tested. The added power, added at the prime on the rev range, does not help straight-line acceleration significantly, along with the 19 ponies’ impact isn’t noticeable from behind the wheel. Moreover, the tester noted that the dual-clutch’s launch-control function didn’t seem to become as powerful because the previous examples’ along with the M4 struggled with launch grip.

Features - 2016 BMW M4 Coupe DCT Competition Package Review :

Expectations of higher lateral grip from the wider-than-stock Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires (265/30 front, 285/30 rear) and stiffened suspension similarly went unmet. The Competition-package car or truck recorded 0.99 g on our skidpad-0.01 g significantly less than the very best figure we’ve gotten from a regular M4 and only 0.05 g much better than the worst figure we've got on file in the lineup, that getting from an M4 convertible.

Our test vehicle also came equipped with BMW’s $8150 carbon-ceramic brakes, and even though they are not needed in the event the Competition package is chosen, their guarantee of fade-free operation under extreme circumstances-say, on a racetrack-make them a all-natural addition. Except right here, also, our expectations have been unmet: Our car’s admittedly impressive 151-foot stopping distance from 70 mph was no far better than those recorded by other M4s we’ve tested (also fitted with carbon-ceramic discs), and we noticed some brake fade, one thing that didn’t occur in those other M4s. Also, just as we’ve skilled in other BMWs so equipped, the carbon-ceramic brakes also possess the alarming tendency to go unresponsive throughout the initial pump of the brake pedal in wet weather. Further pumps restore the binders’ responsiveness-as noted inside the owner’s manual-but it’s a discomforting trait nevertheless.

When the Competition package fails to light somewhat fire under the M4’s already hot objective performance figures, it has far higher impact on the coupe’s subjective efficiency. There’s slightly more information coming up by means of the steering wheel for the driver’s hands, partly nullifying among our biggest complaints about the common M4, its lifeless steering.

First Drive - 2016 BMW M4 Coupe DCT Competition Package Review:

There’s no overlooking BMW’s noodling with the M Adaptive suspension’s adjustable dampers and fitment of 15-percent-firmer springs front and rear. That’s for the reason that each and every of the 3 driver-selectable settings are a notch firmer relative to the currently stiff M4. The Competitors model’s Comfort mode rides like the Sport mode within a common M4, while the Sport setting matches up using the M4’s Sport+, and Sport+ moves the Competitors model someplace just previous “granite” around the hardness scale. We left the M4 in its softest Comfort mode for most of our time with all the automobile, which in addition to relieving our vertebrae minimized the susceptibility to skip over midcorner bumps, upsetting the chassis.

If there’s a silver lining towards the rock-hard ride, it’s that it keeps the typical M4’s overly digitized experience at bay, regardless of myriad settings for the steering effort, throttle sensitivity, shift speed, shift algorithm, and suspension damping. Immediately after all, it definitely does not feel like the computer systems are carrying out much each time among the Competitors package’s beautiful 20-inch wheels slams over a pothole, regardless of which drive mode is chosen. Speak about analog.

At this point we could step away from the tit-for-tat, merit-based discussion in the Competitors package’s effect around the M4 by throwing a Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport-shaped wrench into things. The track-oriented Vette is similarly priced but offers more cornering grip, equivalent acceleration, and much more general tactility than the BMW.

For those with their hearts set on an M4, however, the Competition package’s price-to-content ratio is hugely favorable, and in the event you can tolerate the ride good quality or reside someplace with glass-smooth roads, the kit is worth it for the additional steering really feel and those delectable wheels. The raspier exhaust note (which as opposed to the standard M4’s is audible over the artificial engine noise piped in through cabin speakers) is purely a bonus. Just do oneself a favor and stick having a lower-spec auto than our $89,995 test instance. The $3200 Executive package (heated steering wheel, backup camera, retractable headlight washers, parking sensors, along with a head-up show), $1900 Lighting package (automatic high-beams), $750 360-degree parking cameras, $350 “Enhanced Bluetooth,” and $550 Yas Marina Blue paint did little for the M4’s competitiveness but inflated the price far beyond the $72,195 minimum expected for any Competitors package model using a manual transmission.